Somnium
by thewickerwoman
Summary: What sorts of trouble could Merle, a budding young English detective, possibly entering when she is transferred to the homicide team in Detroit? She finds herself thrown into a world of chaos during the upcoming android revolution, taking her life down a path she could never possibly of dreamed of. At least she has Lieutenant Anderson and that strange android Connor to guide her…
1. Authors Note

Hey there, welcome to my new fanfic!

Before reading this fanfic, please read this A/N. It contains important information surrounding this fic!

I am not an experienced writer (I've been writing for fun for the past 8 years but I rarely share what I write for fear of people not liking it) so please don't't be too harsh on me! Constructive criticism is of course welcomed and appreciated.

Timeline: So where does this fit in canon timeline? This is an AU and I have had to mess around with the timeline a bit to make this story make sense (my dreaming brain wasn't very helpful). This fic takes place just before Jericho gets stormed. Connor is deviant by this point, has found Jericho but Jericho was not stormed by the police. Anything that happens during and after Jericho was stormed has been disregarded (and thus my new timeline/dream takes place). Connor remains working with Hank, who is aware that Connor is deviant (Cyberlife either don't know he's deviant or do know he's deviant and have left him alone for now). The public opinion is sympathetic towards androids for the moment, but this will change. Kara, Alice and Luther remain at Jericho, as it is too unsafe for them to leave at the moment. I hope this clears up any confusion around the peculiar timeline I will be using, don't hesitate to ask me any questions if anything is confusing.

Warnings: There will be canon typical violence throughout, with some graphic descriptions of murder and torture. One of the cases they will be investigating is directly inspired by the James Bulger case, and it may be unsettling to read. I will put up the necessary warnings before each chapter.

Where will this fanfic will be posted?: , AO3 and wattpad, under the name "thewickerwoman"

Thanks for reading, and let's get on with the story!


	2. Prologue: Part One

**Disclaimer: Any canon characters, the original story line and the world of android!Detroit all belong to David Cage and his team at Quantic Dreams. Any OCs and the plot line belong to me :D**

 ** _Thoughts are in italics._**

Prologue Part One:

Another dreary, overcast day plagued a small neighbourhood on the edge of Detroit. What was once a fairly well-maintained middle-class neighbourhood is now overshadowed by the smog created from various factories surrounding Detroit. Most of the inhabitants had moved, for fear of the chemicals and damage the smog could create. House prices were low and the decision was made to rebuild the town into a place for those "less fortunate". The neighbourhood was now a lot more lively but with new inhabitants, combined with record high poverty rates, saw a rise in crime across the neighbourhood.

So when Katie, a PM700 police officer android, was patrolling her usual route around this neighbourhood, she was not surprised to find a group of around 5 humans, whom were shouting and causing a general nuisance outside of the factory gates. The android moved towards the group, wishing to calm them down and move them along. As she got closer to the group, it appeared that they were protesters. Their main message was "Ban all androids!". Protesting, of course, was a human right. However, they were on private property and not acting in an orderly manner, so the android continued on her quest to move them along.

Katie stood in front of the group and cleared her throat.

"Hello there. Although it is well within your rights to protest, you are trespassing on private property and are not protesting in an orderly manner. Could you please move to the town centre and stop being a nuisance to the public?"

A young girl, around 19 in age, sneered. "Oh what do we have here, a piece of fucking plastic!"

"We're a nuisance? What a fucking hypocrite! We are losing our jobs because of you lot. I can't feed my kids because of you fucking tin cans!" shouted the guy to her left. He was a lot taller than Katie, and rather muscular in size.

"Why don't we have a bit of fun with it? Teach the thing a lesson? Show them that we won't just idly stand here while they ruin our lives!" jeered the same girl from before, taking a step towards the android. Discarding their signs, the others in the group followed her lead, with two people grabbing the androids arms.

Katie's LED flashed yellow and then red, but she remained still. She didn't make an attempt to struggle, as she was forbidden to fight against humans. However, she sent an emergency report back to the Detroit Police Apartment, as was procedure to do if she sensed she was in immediate danger.

"I do not mean any trouble but you are breaching the la-"

Katie wasn't given the chance to finish her sentence, as a woolly hat was stuffed into her mouth to prevent her from talking. Pushing her to the ground, they roughly dragged the android down the street, taunting and jabbing it on the way. They reached their destination a short while later, a small grubby alleyway, and Katie was let go. Katie tried to scramble back, but the group of protests had completely surrounded her.

Walking towards her, a tall, muscular man named Jack towered over it.

"Oh look guys, I think it's afraid. Funny, I didn't think it could have emotions. What a pathetic creation."

As he lifted his fist, Katie felt a jolt of fear run through her. 'Hang on - that can't be right. Androids couldn't feel emotion, right? What, what's happening?' the android thought. But it was too late for thinking, as the angry protesters had begun their assault. She was kicked and punched and hit with miscellaneous objects. They screamed obscenities at her, likening her to a piece of trash, with one protestor shouting "How does it feel to feel pain, huh?". As the attack went on, Katie's mind raced with thoughts. It wasn't fair that they were attacking her, she had done nothing wrong. She should be able to defend herself!

Something snapped.

Before she knew what she was doing, she punched one of the attackers in the nose. Blood seeped out of the girls nose and the girl cried out, taking a step back. The attack stopped as the protesters looked in shock at the android. Seizing the opportunity, Katie scrambled to her feet and backed away. A preliminary scan told her that she was moderately injured and in need of thirium. The instigator of the attack, 'Jack' growled deep in his throat, and pulled out a lighter from his inner jacket pocket.

"How DARE you raise a hand against those whom you are meant to serve! I thought about showing you mercy, but now we will find out what happens when you mix plastic and fire!"

He advanced towards the android, flicking open the lighter. He went to grab it's arm when a voice interrupted.

"Detroit City Police, put the weapon down and back away from the android!"

Knowing that if they didn't scarper they would be prosecuted, the group dispersed, running in all different directions. The lone police officer swore under their breath. 'There's no point in even trying to catch up with any of them'. The police officer then approached the injured android.

"We got your distress message. I'm sorry I took so long to respond, we are rather short on staff and an android attack doesn't seem to be high on the priority list unfortunately. Are you okay?"

Katie was trembling. She was glad the attack had stopped, but she had come to the realisation that she was a deviant. Everyone knew what happened to deviant androids. She had to find a way to escape. The police officer seemed like a nice lady, but could she possibly trust a human?

The police officer noticed that the androids LED was switching between yellow and red, indicating extreme stress. 'Could the android possibly be deviant?' the police officer thought to herself. She had dealt with several deviants before. What harm was there in asking?

"Look, I don't mean to be blunt, but are you a deviant?"

Katie shot the woman a fear filled look. She shook her head furiously and got up from the ground. Taking a few steps back, she started to calculate an escape route.

"Hey, don't look so scared. I know someone who can help. You need to trust me. I know of a safe haven for androids. It's called Jericho. They will take you in, fix you up, protect you. Take my hand, I can show you where it is."

Katie was apprehensive, but, against her better judgement, she gingerly took the humans hand. There was something about this humans eyes. She could tell that they were telling the truth. Images of 'Jericho' crossed through her mind and she instantly knew where to go.

She smiled.

"Thank you"


	3. Prologue: Part Two

**Disclaimer: Any canon characters, the original story line and the world of android!Detroit all belong to David Cage and his team at Quantic Dream. Any OCs and the plot line belong to me :D**

Prologue: Part Two

In the heart of the city, there was an abandoned warehouse. It was deemed unsafe for any human to enter. It was moderate in size, and surrounded by a big metal fence. If anyone were to pay attention, they would realise that a human-size hole had been cut in the fence, with just a slab of wood hiding it.

Every Friday night, around 10 people snuck into the warehouse. They were dressed in dark colours, with hats and bandanas covering most of their faces. On this particular night, one of the members was late. As she expertly snuck into the warehouse, it was apparent they had started the meeting without her. "Typical" she muttered under her breath. _What was the point of being the leader of the group if they ignore every instruction I give them?_ Walking towards the group, she was pleased to notice that they had the sense to start a fire in one of the barrels. It had been a bitter November, one of the coldest on record. As she got closer, the chattering stopped, and they turned to face their leader.

She observed who had bothered to attend. Sitting on the left were two Traci models, one named Traci and one named… Lila? She wasn't sure. _Why am I so bad at remembering names? Then again the girl barely speaks._ To her right was Jethro, Lance and Harry. _My what a group they had become._ She hadn't been sure if this group of people would ever be able to work with each other, let alone become friends. _I couldn't have been proved more wrong, huh?_ Standing directly opposite her was her 'right hand man', as he liked to call himself. _Cocky little so and so._ Rupert was a WB200 agricultural model, who had come to her for help after a run in with the city police. From there, a firm friendship had blossomed.

"I was wondering when you would show up"

"Yeah well, we aren't all layabouts like you Rupert. I do have a job you know"

Taking a seat, a frown etched its way across her face. Here she was, sitting at the 8th meeting of the 'Humans for Androids' group, and there were barely any humans here. Hell, including her, there was only 2 humans. The rest of them were androids who had come to her seeking refuge.

"Where is everyone else? This is the humans for androids group, no? Charlie, Fran, Mika, where have they all gone?"

Jethro abruptly stood up at this comment and paced back and forth. "We don't know. They didn't send any message to say that they weren't coming. What if they've been caught? What if-"

"Jesus Jethro, calm down. Surely you know what humans are like. They change their minds and their plans every five minutes. I'm sure they'll let blackbird know if there's any trouble"

 _Blackbird. Why the hell had I insisted on making them call me blackbird? Fair enough, I can't tell them my real name, it was too dangerous. But blackbird? What kind of code name was that? Was it too late to change it?_

She was pulled out of her musings by the chime of her phone. Glancing at it, she was granted with a reason why so many members had not turned up this week.

"Calm down Jethro, no need to panic. Charlie just texted me saying that there is a problem with the trains and that they are stranded on the other side of town. They won't be making it tonight, but he says he has a few new potential members to introduce next week. So, if it's alright with everyone here, can we get on with the meeting?"

Everyone nodded.

"So, as usual, I want to remind you of our mission. We are here to make peace with androids, and fight for their cause. However, we can't do this without Jericho. We need to find them, and we need to gain their trust. If we were to work with them, we could make progress a lot more smoothly and quickly. I have some good news. I know where Jericho is."

Everyone started talking at once.

"Why didn't you just begin with that?"

"So when are we going to them?"

"OH MY GAWD I can't believe it!"

"Can we meet Markus?"

"SHUSH! We will not approach Jericho until the time is right. If we approach too soon they might not take us seriously. We need more members and a stable core group. We need weapons, parts, and an actual base. I don't think we can keep using this warehouse for much longer, it's too suspicious."

Harry whined. "But can't we just join Jericho?"

"I said no, Harry. The time is not right yet! Anyone else got an opinion?"

Rupert pitched in. "I think blackbird is right. Meet them too early and they might see us as a joke. We have to be taken seriously. Also, I have an idea of what we could use instead of this warehouse. There's an empty Cyberlife storage unit place a few streets from here. If we could gain access to it, we could set up base there!"

Traci stood up. "Are you fucking crazy Rupert? How in the hell would we gain access to a CYBERLIFE storage unit? Those things are well guarded! We will end up DESTROYED!"

"Oh I'm sorry Traci. I just don't feel like sitting on my ARSE all day and doing nothing! All we are doing are hiding. How are we gunna make progress if we act like cowards and hide away, huh?"

'Blackbird' had had enough.

"SHUT UP. Stop this unnecessary arguing. If you keep screaming like banshees, this place will be found in no time, and we will all be fucked. Jethro, you were in the army. Do you think it's possible? Could we secure a cyberlife unit?"

Jethro looked contemplative for a second. Sighing, he spoke.

"I guess it could be possible. We would need more people though. And weapons. We would strike at night, and there cannot be any witnesses. I would presume it is guarded by androids, I doubt cyberlife would deem an empty cyberlife storage unit high priority. If we could somehow convert the androids guarding it, then Cyberlife will never know that the storage unit has been taken over. And when they do find out, well we could cross that bridge when we get there."

Blackbird's face lit up. _Perfect. With that unit, we could get some supplies as well. Biocompartments, weapons, thirium. We could finally have a decent hideout, a decent place to hide our refuge androids. With all that, Jericho would respect us as equals. If only I could get the attention of their leader, Markus -_

Once again, Blackbird was brought out of her musings. This time, by a screaming Traci.

"Have you all gone INSANE? It's a fucking suicide mission! I know you guys have nothing you care about, but I have my partner. I refuse to put us in harm's way for any of your bloody schemes! I just want to be safe. Us to be safe. Where would we even get weapons?"

"Traci, you forget where I work. I'm a Detroit City Police Detective. My connections with the police is how we will get those weapons. I'll arrange for a shipment of new guns to go 'missing'."

Lance, who had been quiet the whole evening, spoke.

"It's too dangerous, blackbird. You could damage the position you have aquired. You could get yourself killed! You don't need to do this for us! We, we can find another way!"

"Lance, this will be dangerous regardless. I knew what I was getting into when I started this group. I fight criminals everyday, I can handle myself. And Traci, I know you don't want to put you or your partner in danger, but think of it this way. If we do this, we can secure somewhere where we all will be safe for along time. We will finally have an advantage!"

The group looked weary, but one by one they agreed. Blackbird stifled a yawn.

"Right well, it's getting late. We all have people to get back to, lives we need to get on with. Same time next week, we will introduce this idea to the rest of the group and put it to a vote. Goodnight everyone. Oh and Rupert, could you stay behind for a second?"

The group filtered out, chatting amongst themselves. When Blackbird was sure it was just her and Rupert, she flopped onto her chair and groaned.

"Am I doing the right thing Rupert? I'm not even an android, how could I possibly know what is right for your people?"

Rupert sat on the chair next to her, and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Blackbird, you are a great leader. They need your guidance, your leadership. We would be nothing without you, you brought us together. I'm sure it will all workout in the end"

He smiled, and pulled her into a hug.

"Oh, what would I do without you Rupert?"

"Crumble and die?"

"Oh shut up Rupert before I clobber you one. Come on, let's get back to our mundane lives"

And with that, the pair left the warehouse, and went back to their 'mundane' lives.

Or so she thought.


	4. Chapter One

**Disclaimer: Any canon characters, the original story line and the world of android!Detroit all belong to David Cage and his team at Quantic Dream. Any OCs and the plot line belong to me :D**

 ** _Thoughts are in italics._**

Chapter One - My name is Merle

"Got any leads Connor?"

It's midday in the Detroit City Police Department. The partners, Lieutenant Anderson and his android Connor, were working on the latest string of android-related cases. Ever since the so called "Freedom March", there had been a sharp increase in android-related crimes, both crimes committed by androids and against them. The political atmosphere was divided, with many feeling sympathy for the androids and many saying that they could not be trusted and should be destroyed. Connor and Hank were one of the many teams dispatched to investigate androids. This raised some concern within the office, mainly by DI Gavin Reed, stating that an android shouldn't be allowed to investigate an android case. Their complaints were mostly ignored, with Hank pushing for the use of Connor's 'insider knowledge'. Most assumed this was just Connors innate abilities as an android. However, Connor was also a deviant, something they were both trying to keep secret.

"Not yet, Lieutenant. There seem to be barely any links between any of the cases. Deviancy is completely random. The only common thing I can find is this obsession with ra9. But what, or who could ra9 be?"

"Don't sweat it Connor, just focus on creating a timeline of events. It might be useful if we could figure out who the first deviant was."

They carried on with their work. They had no active cases at this time, so it was a job of piecing things together and trying to find links. They worked studiously for the next half an hour, when Connor noticed someone peculiar walk into the room. She didn't look like anyone he had seen before. He didn't she worked here, but she didn't look like a suspect. She was rather average in height, and had short, dyed red hair. She was dressed in jeans and a jumper, with a long black overcoat. _Who could that possibly be?_ He turned over to the Lieutenant.

"Lieutenant, who is that? The girl walking towards us"

Hank looked up. "I don't bloody know Connor, it's a police station. There's strangers in here everyday."

Connor continued to watch her, and she warily approached the Lieutenants desk. Reading the name plaque on his desk, she stood up straight.

"Do you happen to be Lieutenant Anderson?"

"Yeah. Who's asking?"

"Well I'm Philomela Collins, but you can call me Merle, as my friends do. As you can see my parents loved Greek mythology", she chuckled to herself. "Anyway, that's not relevant. I've been transferred over to homicide by the Captain and I'm going to be a part of your team… and by the look on your faces he didn't tell you I was coming. Uhm well-"

Her rambling is cut short by Hank standing up and storming towards the Captain's office. Merle seemed at loss as to what to do. She turned to the guy sitting at the desk next to the Lieutenants. He was an android named Connor, from what she could tell by the name plaque. _So this must be the android I am working with. Nice._

"Did I, uh, do something wrong?" she asked him. _It would be like me to screw up on the first day_ , she thought to herself.

"I don't think so. From what I have observed, the lieutenant does not seem to like sudden changes. Especially when he has not been informed of these changes beforehand"

"Oh, well, that's fair enough I guess." She sticks out her hand. "I'm Merle, I look forward to working with you."

Connor shakes her hand. "I'm Connor. I'm the android sent by Cyberlife to oversee any cases involving androids." Merle nodded her head. She seemed to be in awe of Connor, which he was finding slightly uncomfortable. He grasped for a conversation topic. "Are you from England? You have an accent."

"I am actually from England. I moved here, to Detroit, 2 years ago. Androids aren't as common in England, it's a bit weird to see them, well, everywhere."

"I can imagine. But our creators worked tirelessly to make sure that we looked, sounded and acted human. That way we could assimilate into the general population without much commotion. As recent events have proved, this has not worked as well as Cyberlife had planned."

"Right. Well. I hope it all calms down eventually. But not too soon, otherwise I'll be out of a job!" she chuckled, and looked down at her shoes. _Damn I must sound really awkward. I wanted to make a good impression, but I didn't get a word in edgeways before Anderson stormed off. Where even is he, anyways?_

Just as she was about to enquire where Lieutenant Anderson had got to, he stormed out of Captain Fowlers office, slamming the door as he went. He walked over to Merle.

"Well, looks like you're staying. Apparently, for safety reasons, we need a third member on our team. Don't know why he let me know beforehand so I could pick our colleague, but oh well. You can use the desk opposite you. Connor will fill you in on what's happening. The Captain wants to see you once you have put your stuff away. Don't piss me off and don't call me Lieutenant Anderson like this one does. It's Hank." He walked back to his desk, sat down and engrossed himself in whatever was on his computer screen.

Merle smiled. _Okay, so maybe it will all be okay. I didn't embarrass myself too much then._ She walked over to her desk, setting her backpack on the chair. She hung her overcoat over the back of her chair and got to unpacking her things. On her desk already was a phone, computer and stationary holders. She took to organising her desk, adding a few personal touches here and there, such as a photo of her brother and niece. She dug out her transfer papers and rifled through them, making sure she had all the documents she needed to secure her place here. Glancing up, a blush crept onto her face when she realised Connor had been staring at her the whole time. _Why is he staring at me? Have I done something wrong?_ Giving the android a small smile, she walked towards Captain Fowler's glass office.

Merle knocked twice on the door, and he motioned for her to come in. She gingerly opened the glass door. _Glass? Why on earth would you want glass surrounding your office? If I was in his position, I would want something a bit more private. Each to their own I guess._

"Ahh, Miss Collins. Welcome to the homicide unit. I believe you were working in the drug squad beforehand?"

"Thank you. And yes, you are correct Sir."

"What prompted your move to the homicide unit?"

"Back home in England I was in the CID squad, working homicides. So it's something I know. I expressed a wish to be moved to homicide when I first came here, and my previous boss only just gave into my demands. That and I have a special interest in androids."

Captain Fowler smiled. _Yes, this young lady was the right person to join Hank and Connor's team. She was easy on the eyes too._

"I think you will enjoy working with the Lieutenant and the Android. Please refrain from adding to the novel that is their disciplinary folder though, I have enough paperwork to do already. Do you have your transfer papers?"

She handed the papers over. He flicked through them. _Ahh, it's alphabetically ordered as well. Yes, she will be a good addition to the unit._

"Looks like everything is in order. You need to head down to the armoury to get your new badge and gun. As you can see, we dress quite casually here. Just be appropriate with what you wear, so nothing scandalous and nothing political. The working hours are 9am-5pm, however it can be shorter or longer. Depends on the workload and the case. I hope you settle in well here. You are dismissed."

"Thank you Captain Fowler."

She left the room with a smile on her face. _That went well. I managed to leave a good impression. Now, where the hell is the armoury?_ She walked in the direction of her desk, when she heard Hank say "Hey Connor, show the newbie where the armoury is. I can't be arsed to move" "Yes Lieutenant" came Connor's robotic reply. _Well at least I don't have to ask._ Merle followed Connor to a lift, in which he pressed to go to level -2. They were on level 24.

It was just them in the lift. _This is a bit awkward. Should I try and strike up a conversation?_ At that moment, Connor pulled out a coin from his pocket and started doing tricks. _Neat._

"Those coin tricks are awesome. How long did it take you to learn them?"

"I didn't. It is in my programming. It's called coin calibration. By doing it once in a while, it helps my system to run more smoothly."

"Oh. That's clever."

They reached the armoury, and they walked over to the reception desk. It was an android at the desk. _There sure are a lot of them here, huh._

"Excuse me. I'm Philomela Collins, I'm here for my badge and gun."

"I was expecting you. Just wait a moment, I shall go and fetch them for you."

The android left the room, once again leaving Connor and Merle alone. _Who would've thought being a police officer would mean waiting around for something to happen all the time? Oh who am I kidding? I've been a police officer for 6 years now, I know how it works. And how boring it can get sometimes._ The android came back into the room, carrying a small box. It handed the box to Merle.

"Here is your badge and gun, standard issue, with a complimentary cleaning kit. There is a shooting range across the street if you wish to practice at any time. I have ordered a few boxes of ammo which should arrive tomorrow. Should any problem arise, do not hesitate to contact me."

Merle took the box. First, she pocketed her badge, and then reached for the gun. She checked that the safety was on before sliding the gun into her gun holster. _Look at you Merle, you're officially a member of the Detroit Homicide Unit. Just where you wanted to be._

Thanking the android at the reception, she handed the empty box back to her. Walking towards the lift, she asked Connor a question.

"So Connor, what exactly are we working on?"


	5. Chapter Two

**Disclaimer** **:** **Any canon characters, the original story line and the world of android!Detroit all belong to David Cage and his team at Quantic Dream. Any OCs and the plot line belong to me :D**

 ** _Thoughts are in italics._**

Timeline: Kara's timeline has been altered here. Her events take place later than they do in the canon plot. SPOILER WARNING for Kara's route.

Chapter 2: The First Case

It was a few days later when they received their first case as a trio. Merle and Connor had been working on a flowchart of events and had been trying to establish any possible links when Hank had received a phone call.

"There's been a murder about 20 minutes away. Body has been there for a while. They're sending you the basic details Connor, you can brief us in the car on the way there."

Merle ran back to her desk to grab her coat and backpack. _Finally, something to do. Something exciting._

She followed Hank and Connor into the lift, and they hurried to Hanks car. The group piled into the car just as Connor received the preliminary file.

"The victims name is Todd Williams. 43 years old, no fixed job, with a criminal record. He has been arrested multiple times for drug trafficking and violent misdemeanors, and is considered dangerous. Also living at the residency is the current suspect, an AX400 named Kara, who had recently be reset, and a YK500 named Alice. It was reported after a neighbour realised the main door to the residency had been wide open for days. He went to check on Todd, and the smell told him all he needed to know."

"Right. Well that's not too much to go on. I think I recognise the name though, from when I worked on the drug squad. If he is who I think he is, he was a right violent prick. So I'm not surprised someones had enough of him." _Crap. I didn't mean to say that last part out loud._

Hank raised an eyebrow. "So probably something to do with drugs then. Where are his androids?"

"Missing".

They pulled up outside of the crime scene. The house was moderate, but the paint was peeling and the front lawn was messy and unmaintained. Police tape surrounded the property, and a few police officers were holding back a gaggle of reporters.

"Lets get on with it then"

The trio exited the car and walked up to the police tape. One hasty "it's with me" and a flash of their badges later, they were inside the property. The first thing that assaulted Merle was the smell. _Fucking hell, that's repugnant. He's been here a while then._

Looking around the hallway, Merle realised she was alone. Hank had went to interview the officer first-on-scene, and Connor was inspecting the mess in the dining room. Merle decided to have a good look in the kitchen. To her surprise, everything was clean. _So the android must have been doing it's duties. So maybe it wasn't deviant?_

Walking over to the living room, she instantly recognised the substance on the table. _Red Ice._ Hank walked back into the room.

Pointing at the red ice, Merle spoke: "I think the victim may have been high on red ice at the time of the incident. That would make him more aggressive than usual, and thus more likely to lash out. Could he have lashed out at one of the androids?"

"From what I have analysed over here, the fight broke out at dinner. There is half-eaten spaghetti on the floor, and the table has been turned over. However, there is no blood or thirium down here, so the fight must have carried on upstairs." Connor added. They both looked at Hank.

"Well let's move upstairs then"

They went up the stairs, and Merle instantly gagged from the smell. She went to move into the girls bedroom when Hank pulled her back.

"Let Connor do his reconstruct thing. Go look around upstairs, see if you can find anything useful."

She moved to the next room, which happened to be Todd's room. The door was wide open, as if it had been thrust open. She looked around the room. _Nothing of great significance here._ She was about to leave when she noticed that the bedside table draw was wide open. _That's strange. Why would it be wide open? I wonder what was taken…_

"Merle, Connor has finished his reconstruction! Come in here!"

Merle entered the childs bedroom. It was a mess. Furniture had been moved and destroyed, a tent was squashed and a window smashed. Todds body was in the middle of the room. For Merle, it was obvious he had been shot, due to the spatter of blood on the ceilling, wall and floor. _There's specks of blood on the cieling… so he must've been on top of his attacker…_

Connor spoke. "From my reconstruction of events, it seems that the victim, Todd, had been beating the YK500 with a belt" He pointed at a belt in the corner of the room, which had specks of blue-blood on. _I knew he was a bastard but jeez…_ "I know it was the YK500 he was beating with the belt because I sampled the blue-blood…" _So he samples things? With his tongue? Ew._ "It appears the AX400 intervened, and that is where the real fight begun. She ran towards Alice, knocking the lamp over as she went. Todd was either pushed and then fell onto the tent, effectively squashing it. They fought some more, and at some point Todd punched the window. The AX400 fell, and Todd was leaning over. The AX400 then shot him, and he died within minutes. There are no fingerprints on Todd's gun, so it must have been the android. Where they went next though, has still not been determined."

Connor then stared at Hank, expecting an answer. Hank seemed angry, and he grumbled. "Fucking child abusers, bastard got what he deserved". Merle nodded in agreement, and Connor stayed impassive. _You can never tell what that damn android is thinking._

"Well the bedside drawer in the victims room is wide open, so I presume that the AX400 took the gun from there. And considering the front door was wide open, I would take an educated guess and say that they left out the front the door?"

"No shit Merle"

She jogged down the stairs and looked outside. Shrugging at Connor, Hank followed.

"Look. There's a bus stop down the road. She must have taken the bus into town. She was desperate and afraid with a young child…"

"You talk as if they have emotions"

"They do. They're deviant. They would've been scared and desperate. The AX400 had just killed someone for gods sake! It's a clear case of self defence!"

Connor and Hank shared a look. _Have I said something wrong? It's clear the must have been deviants, and then they do have emotions. It WAS self-defence!_

"Murder is still illegal Merle, justified or not." Connor stated robotically. Merle sighed. _I know that Connor, no need to be snarky. Just because you don't have emotions… yet._

Hank sighed. _Merle looks annoyed. But it's not like Connor can speak freely._

"There's not much we can do at this stage. I'll put out a BOLO for an AX400 with a small child/YK500. We need to speak to them regardless of the situation. Lets leave the cleanup to the boys, go back to the station, get the reports done and have a beer together later."

On the drive back to the station, Merle felt unsatisfied. Gazing out of the window, she got lost in her thoughts. _The AX400, Kara, she was just acting like a mother protecting a child. Williams is a bastard, anyone whose investigated him knows that. I wish I could help her…. God knows where they are now. It's too cold to be sleeping rough._

 _I hope they find somewhere safe._


	6. Chapter Three

**Disclaimer: Any canon characters, the original story line and the world of android!Detroit all belong to David Cage and his team at Quantic Dream. Any OCs and the plot line belong to me :D**

 ** _Thoughts are in italics._**

Chapter Three: A Meeting

It was a frosty Wednesday afternoon, and Blackbird was starting to regret not putting on gloves. She was sitting on a bench towards the centre of the park, donning jeans, a jumper and a thick leather jacket. _Why didn't I tell him to meet me in a cafe or something? Somewhere warm._ A fresh layer of snow had fallen the night before, prompting various snowball fights between children. _I wish I could be that happy and carefree and ignorant to what is going on around me… oh shut up, I sound like someone having a midlife crisis! I'm only in my 20s!_

A few moments passed when a tall, dark figure joined her at the bench.

"So you must be Blackbird. Curious name."

"Markus, how nice to finally meet you" Blackbird glanced around, spotting several androids doing 'miscellaneous' tasks such as stretching. "I see you haven't come alone"

"Of course not. I'm a wanted man, and you're the leader of some human group. You expect me to trust you, fully, straight away? It was hard enough convincing the rest of the group to let me come and meet you in the first place"

"You're a clever man, Markus. I admire that"

There was a pause, in which Blackbird was mentally preparing herself. _I can't fuck this up. This is the one chance you have._

"So. You know why I dragged you out here. I am the leader of 'Humans for Androids'. We are a political pressure group that, since everything went to shit, have had to go underground. We want equal rights for androids, and the way you've been treated is despicable. History is repeating itself again. We have around 60 members, around 40 humans and 20 androids. There's a core group of 10, which might narrow in the future"

"Yes, how far you have come is quite remarkable. I have kept an eye on your group for quite some time since you have sent some of your android members towards me. But why now? Why are you approaching me like this now?"

 _You can't get anything past that one, can you? Right well, time for the big reveal, Blackbird._

"One of our members discovered an empty Cyberlife storage unit a few streets from here. He seems to think it's a small unit that we can easily overpower and use as a safe place for our android refugees. Little does he know, this unit is huge. It still contains spare biocompartments and thirium that Cyberlife seem to have forgotten"

"And you plan on capturing this unit? It's suicide!"

"It's not. We can't keep being passive and doing nothing. Our meeting place is not safe and we need a proper place for us. We have the expertise, the weapons and the people. I have people in Cyberlife who will make the unit disappear from their system. Yes, it will be a risk. A huge risk. But I believe we can do it"

"So what do you want from us?"

"I was thinking that if we were able to secure this unit, it could become the new Jericho. You know that Jericho isn't stable or big enough. Our groups could combine. It would be useful to have humans on your side as well, and I have connections everywhere. It would be a great step forward"

Markus looked contemplative, and a few minutes passed. _I hope I've managed to convince him. I've been fighting for a union with Jericho for so long. The rest of the group don't even know I'm here. It would be great news to give to them on Friday if he says yes._

Markus sighed. He would have loved to have said yes without a thought. But could he trust this mysterious woman and her group? He didn't even know her real name…

"Get the storage unit and then we'll talk. I'll introduce the idea to Jericho, see if I can get them to warm up to it"

"Thank you Markus. I will contact you when we have the unit. It was a pleasure to meet you"

"Ahh you're confident. I wish you luck"

He stood up, and with one last glance at Blackbird, he walked towards North, who was waiting at the edge of the park.

Merle breathed out. _Well. That didn't go too bad. At least I have something positive to tell the group on Friday. They'll have to agree to getting the container now that they know we could have Jericho on board._

Merle stood up, whipping out her phone. Punching in a familiar number, she put the phone to her ear.

"So, Jericho is a go. Make those weapons disappear"


	7. Chapter Four

**Disclaimer: Any canon characters, the original story line and the world of android!Detroit all belong to David Cage and his team at Quantic Dream. Any OCs and the plot line belong to me :D**

 ** _Thoughts are in italics._**

 **WARNING: This case is inspired by the murder of James Bulger. Thus, there will be some graphic descriptions of torture and murder in this chapter. I have left warnings before and after that scene takes place, so it can be skipped. I have toned it down from the original draft, and not all details are the same.**

Chapter Four: The Missing Child

Merle groaned. She had only been at work for an hour so far but the paperwork was tedious and boring. The day before, they had received a tip on where the AX400 and YK500 might be. The tip was right. _The one day I was ill just had to be the day that something exciting happened. Connor even ran across a motorway to get to that android! I'm glad they got away though._

Captain Fowler hadn't been impressed with her taking a day off so early into her transfer. _I can't help that my uterus self-destructs once every month and leaves me incapable of leaving the bathroom floor! It's even in my medical notes, dumbass should've read them through!_ She sighed and leaned back on the chair. _I'm probably being too harsh on him. He has better things to do than read my medical notes._

Merle was brought out of her musings when a hand grasped her shoulder.

"Jesus Christ Connor! Give a girl some warning next time!"

Connor looked impassive. "I am sorry Detective, but we have an urgent case to Lieutenant is already on his way"

"Oh. Right. Let me just grab my stuff and then we can get going"

 _Finally. Something to do._

"Since the Lieutenant isn't here, is it okay if we ride my bike to the scene?"

Connor looked confused. "A bike? Detective, that would take us far too long"

 _Really Connor? You think I would ride a pushbike to a crime scene? He is rather adorable when he looks confused though. Wait- what am I thinking?_ "A motorbike Connor"

"Oh. I think that would be advisable then. We are travelling to the town centre shopping mall by Brightmoor"

Making their way to the parking lot, Connor stated what the case involved. "A YK500 model by the name of Kyle went missing 2 days ago. His fathers, Rich and Frank, have waited 2 days before reporting this to us. He went missing on a trip to the local shopping mall, in which they left the child unattended for a few minutes. When they came back, he was gone."

"Why'd they wait so long before reporting that he was missing? Time is so important in missing persons cases, we may have missed valuable information!"

"They believed the child would simply come back to them. After two days, it was clear that wouldn't be the case. Missing androids aren't usually high priority cases, but it is a child and the fathers are friends of the chief"

"What about the tracking chip?"

"Faulty. They were there to get it fixed"

They reached the parking lot and approached Merle's bike. It was a Triumph Bonneville T100, and the love of her life. She passed her backpack to Connor, insinuating that he should wear it. _It'll make riding a lot easier. Drat. I only have one helmet. Well there's only one thing for it._

Giving Connor no prior warning, she plonked the helmet onto his head and adjusted the straps. _There we go, there will be no Connor-brains on the pavement if I can help it!_

"I only have one helmet, and since you're the passenger, you get to wear it"

Connor shook his head.

"Your life is much more valuable than mine. I insist you wear it"

He reached up to undo the straps, when Merle grabbed his hand. _Her hand is warm and rather soft. Wait, why did she grab my hand?_

An awkward moment passed. Connor seemed rather flustered and Merle blushed. _I'm acting like a 14 year old school girl, what the hell is wrong with me? Say something you dolt!_

She dropped his hand as if it was burning her. She climbed onto her bike, gesturing for him to get on as well. "I can't be having that Connor. Wear the helmet. I don't need any more deaths on my conscience. I better not crash then, ay?"

Connor looked apprehensive as he too climbed onto the bike. _Why do humans insist on using motor vehicles that are endangering to their lives? Can we not just get the train?_

Merle felt him tense up. _Can an android even be tense? Or is that his constant state of being?_ "Have you ever ridden on a bike before Connor?"

"I can't say I have"

 _So that's why he looks so scared._ "Nothing to be worried about, just put your arms around my waist and hold on tightly" She revved the engine, and was rewarded with a squeal from Connor. _He squealed! Oh my, he is absolutely adorable! Well, that confirms one theory - they can be scared of things! I better put him out of his misery and get on with it._

Cruising the streets of Detroit, Merle felt at home. She knew she should be a bit more serious, considering that they were travelling to a crime scene, but riding always put her at ease. Unfortunately, she doubted her passenger felt the same. _Who would've thought that Connor, the guy who kicks arse all the time, would be scared of a mere motorbike? I owe him a beer._

They arrived at the shopping mall and Merle parked up her bike. The parking machine beeped, indicating that her details had been taken. _I love automatic parking. No waiting in line, no fumbling with debit cards or change._ The pair made their way to the security office, bumping into numerous people on the way. _People are always in such a rush, maybe it's an American thing? Though heaven forbid if you hold up the line at a tube station in London…_

"What took you guys so long?" Hank called out, gesturing at them to follow him. "Come on, we have no time to lose" They walked over to where the security offices were. There was a main waiting room, where 2 police officers and the fathers were waiting. "The boy was last seen by the fountain area, and we are having trouble locating where he went after that. Connor, I want you to look over the CCTV footage, the CCTV room is just down that corridor. Merle, you can interview the boys fathers. I'm going to interview the police officers and see what we have so far"

Merle approached the fathers. They were huddled together, having a frantic whispered conversation. Merle sat next to them, and spoke

"Hello there, you must be Rich and Frank?"

They sat up. "Yes", the blonde one replied. "I'm Frank, and this is Rich" He held Rich's hand, his thumb moving in a circle motion over Rich's palm.

"I'm Detective Collins, I have been assigned to your case. Could you tell me what happened?"

"Well, we were just out shopping. It was a perfectly normal day out. We needed to get his chip fixed and we thought that we might as well make a day out of it. We were meant to go to the zoo afterwards as a treat. He had wanted to see some Christmas display by the fountain and we let him. I told him we would wait for him by the Cyberlife store. And we waited. After half an hour, Rich went to go look for him. He couldn't find him. We went home, thinking he would just come back. He knew the way home. We should never - I should have reported him missing sooner. I-I- fuck this is all my-" He burst into tears, and Merle handed him a tissue.

 _I'm no good with crying people, crap._ She turned to Rich. "Can you think of any reason he might want to run away from home? Any stresses, any arguments lately?"

"Not at all, he's a good kid. We are a good family" Rich replied somberly, eyes fixed on the ground. Merle looked around, noticing that Connor had finished his analysis and was speaking to Hank. _I better finish up here, these two haven't given me much to go on._

She stood up. "Well, we will try our best to get him back to you. Worst come to worst, you can always get a new one" _Ouch. That sounded harsh. I didn't mean to sound so callous._

Rich saw red, and in an instant Merle was pinned to the wall, his hand at her throat. _Fuck, fuck, fuck I didn't mean it like that._ Hank and the two other police officers were instantly at their guns, pointing them at Rich's back.

"How fucking dare you, you bitch. He's our family! You can't replace FAMILY!"

 _I am such an idiot. What the hell was I thinking? It's getting kind of hard to breathe._

One of the police officers spoke. "Rich. Let go of Detective Collins. Hurting her won't do any good"

"She INSULTED my FAMILY"

"I really didn't mean to, I'm sorry, I meant nothing by it" _I'm really struggling to breathe now, I'm such an idiot._

"Rich, we are wasting valuable time. We have a lead"

That did the trick. Rich let go of Merle, and she sunk to the ground, trying to catch her breath. Rich walked back over to Frank and hugged him tightly. Hank and Connor rushed over to Merle.

"You alright Merle? He had a pretty firm grip on you"

"I'm fine" she croaked out, as Connor helped her to her feet. _What a gentleman._

The other two police officers seemed to be debating whether to arrest Rich for attacking a police officer. Merle called out to them.

"Don't, don't do anything. He's stressed and frankly I deserved it. Just let them go home." She sighed. _I don't want to get them into trouble._ Escorted by the police officers, the couple left the room, leaving Hank, Connor and Merle alone.

"So Connor, what did you find on the CCTV?"

"The AX400 was admiring the fountain when it was approached by 2 boys, around the age of 10. They spoke for a few minutes, and the boys take one hand each and lead him out of the shopping mall"

 _That's… strange._ "Was he forced or did he go willingly?"

Hank spoke up. "It's not clear at this point. We have them leaving the shopping mall though, and we should hopefully be able to track them from there. There are CCTV cameras everywhere"

"So we need to go and get a permit then, I'll get on-"

"No. Connor's going to hack into the cameras on the way, it only takes him a few seconds"

"But that's not proper proced-"

"I don't give a DAMN about procedure, there's a missing child out there!" Hank pointed at the doors on the left of the shopping mall. "They went out of those doors, let's get a move on"

Merle bit her lip nervously and followed them. _There goes our disciplinary folders. But it is a child… surely the Captain can overlook that?_

And thus commenced Connor's hacking spree. They found that the boys had taken the android into multiple stores, hitting and pinching the android on the way. Not many people had payed them much attention, considering it was an android child that they were dragging around. Half an hour later, they were exhausted, and standing at a train station, where the CCTV ended.

"It appears that they then walked down the tracks. At this point, they are dragging the AX400 along the tracks. From what I can see, there is a faint trail of blue blood on our left"

Merle grimaced. _What the hell were they doing? What are we going to find?_

They walked along the track for all of 10 minutes when a smell assaulted their noses. A hundred yards away, they could see 2 lumps on the railway track. _Fuck. No._

"Connor. Alert the station. Call for backup"

Covering her nose with her hand, Merle steps towards the body. She gags at what she finds. Tears spring into her eyes and she turns around. Nodding at Hank, she quickly walked back to the station and finds a bench. She collapses onto the bench, burying her head into her hands, and sobs. _What the fuck was that? I've never seen anything like it. That poor kid. That kid reminded me so much of Kelly..._

\- Warning for graphic description of torture and murder -

Hank was equally disgusted at what he saw, but he covered it better. Gesturing for Connor to come forward, he takes another glance other the body. Kyle's body had been split in two, presumably by a train. There was blue-blood everywhere, and miscellaneous objects such as batteries and toys were surrounding the body. _What kind of monster could do this to a child?_ Hank thought to himself. _Right, I will let Connor do the in-depth analysis._

Connor bent down next to the body and his LED flashed red. _What the- How could anyone be so cruel? This is… brutal._ Shaking his head, he started analysis of the scene. There were a substantial amount injuries, 42 in fact. Paint had been poured into the boys eyes and batteries had been shoved into the boys mouth. _Is that some cruel joke? About how we run on 'batteries'?_ An iron bar had been dropped on the boys head, which had been the killing blow. Connor went to taste the thirium. _This is definitely the AX400._

The body and iron bar are covered in fingerprints. _At least we will know who the perpetrators are._ Scanning them, Connor finds that the fingerprints come back to 2 young boys. Luke Jones, aged 10, and Billy Davis, aged 11. _They're so young. How… how could they do this?_

\- End of warning for graphic description of torture and murder -

Connor stood up and walked over to Hank. He relayed what he believed had happened and the injuries Kyle had sustained before death. Hanks face paled and his fists curled up in anger. A few police cars and the forensics team roll up, and begin taping off the scene.

"The fingerprints belong to Luke Jones and Billy Davis. Should I contact a patrol car to go and pick them up?"

Hank nodded, and Connor called it in.

"I think we are done for today. Let forensics do their job. I doubt this case will be ours for much longer. And frankly, I don't want it. Let's go back to Merle"

The sound of police cars rolling up led Merle to take a deep breath and wipe her eyes. _You've faced off drug dealers and serial killers Merle, why is this hurting you so much? It's not Kelly. Get your act together._ She stood up and stretched out, watching the forensics team set up and the police cordon off the scene. She saw Hank and Connor approaching her, and gulped. _I hope they don't think anything less of me for running away._

"Merle, we're going home. Thanks to Connor, we know who the perpetrators are and they've been picked up. There's nothing more for us to do here, I'll let child services take over"

Merle breathed out a sigh of relief. _They've got the bastards who did it. Thank god._

Connor stepped forward, patting Merle on the arm. His LED had been flashing yellow and red since they had arrived at the scene. _I hope he's okay._ "And don't worry Merle, you're reaction was a very human one. I'm sure if I was human I would have reacted the same way"

Merle gave him a timid smile. _That's his idea of comfort? It wasn't that bad I guess… At least I'm being let go now, I can go and get drunk and pretend this all never happened._

The trio then began their walk back to the shopping mall, since that was where Merle had left her bike and Hank his car.

 _What a day. What a fucking day._


	8. Chapter Five

**Disclaimer:** **Any canon characters, the original story line and the world of android!Detroit all belong to David Cage and his team at Quantic Dream. Any OCs and the plot line belong to me :D**

 ** _Thoughts are in italics._**

Chapter 5: Jimmy's Bar

It was around 9pm in central Detroit. Rain was pouring from the sky, making the road conditions dangerous. _Emergency services will be busy tonight_ , Merle thought to herself as she walked towards Jimmy's Bar. Wrapping her arms around her waist, she cursed herself for not driving to the bar. _It would've been quicker and dryer to drive but I wouldn't want to break the law and drink and drive, would I?_

Pushing open the door to Jimmy's Bar, Merle sighed. It had been a horrible day. _At least it's usually quiet in here, I can get drunk in peace._ She walked over to her usual spot at the edge of the bar, nodding at the bartender as she went. Over the 2 years she had spent in Detroit, she had become pretty friendly with the guy who owned the bar, Jimmy.

"2 vodka shots and a whisky please, Jim"

Jim raised his eyebrow and started to pour her drinks. "Long day?"

"Yup. Drinking to forget"

A few minutes passed, and Merle took the chance to glance around. There weren't many people in the bar tonight. _Good. Less people to embarrass myself in front of._ Jimmy slid her drinks over to her.

"It's on the house"

"Thanks Jim" Merle replied, flashing him a warm smile. _Jim knows how to take care of his customers… and how to get us to keep coming back._ Merle knocked back both of the shots, grimacing at the alcohol burning down her throat. _You'd think my student days would make me immune to that… I guess not._

Nursing her whisky, she entered deep thought. _How can kids be so cruel? They're only 10! How can they be that sadistic at that age? I wonder if they'll be punished with the full extent of the law… they're minors and it was an android they destroyed but it was so cruel and brutal. What if they went and done that to a human child? Surely it would be in the interest of public safety to keep them locked up. Then again who knows what's up with the law and public opinion these days, everything is chaos. That poor boy. Reminded me of Kelly…. Kelly._

Merle spent the next few hours in this fashion, and wasn't without a drink for more than 5 minutes. Jimmy was getting increasingly worried for his customer - _no, friend. We know too much about each other to not be friends_ \- as she only drank like this when she was upset. It was 11pm when he thought about calling her a cab home when he was distracted by the door being opened by a customer, followed by his android. Jimmy smiled, he knew this duo.

"Hank! I haven't seen you a while! How's things?"

"You know how it is Jim, work has been eating away my time! It's hard to get away, especially with this plastic prick following me everywhere!"

Merle's head shot up, looking at the new customer that was being served by Jimmy. _Of course Hank drinks here. Of course Hank is the old dude who usually sits in the middle of the bar. Fuuuuuuuuck. What do I do?_ She hastily jumped from her stool and made a beeline for the toilets. Well more like staggered to the toilets, narrowly avoiding various customers on her way. Her exit piqued Connor's interest.

"That person left in a hurry. Who was that?" Connor asked the bartender. Hank threw Connor an exasperated stare. _I swear if you create any trouble Connor, I'm gunna throttle you._

"Oh that's just Merle. I think she's had a bit too much to drink"

Hank sat up. "Merle? Merle Collins?"

"Yeah, that's her. Do you know her? You work at the same place if I remember right"

Hank was about to reply when Connor cut through. "She is the newest member of our team. Captain Fowler thought that we would benefit from an extra member, for safety reasons. I think she has been… satisfactory so far"

Jimmy chuckled and started to clean glasses. _Satisfactory. Couldn't sound more robotic if it tried._ "So have you had a rough case or something? She seems rather upset."

Hank answered this time. "Yeah, you know the Kyle case? The one with that child android who was killed by the kids?" Jim nodded. "That was ours. We were first-on-scene"

Jimmy stopped cleaning the glass and placed it on the counter. "Oh. Now I get why she's so upset. It's so similar to Kelly's case as well. Poor girl. Oh and speak of the devil, here she comes!"

Merle stumbled out of the toilets. She had tried to freshen up by splashing water in her face, but to little avail. She went to walk to her place when she felt a prickle on the back of her neck. _I'm being watched._ She slowly looked up to see Jimmy, Hank and Connor staring at her. _So much for sneaking out of here then._

"Lieu, lieuten, nant, Connnnnnnor, ffffancyy ssseeeing youuuu twwwooo hereeee!"

She walked forward to greet her colleagues when her foot caught the edge of a chair and sent her sprawling to the ground. _Fuck my life._ The bar went deathly silent, and then erupted into laughter. _Why does this always happen to me?_ She raised her head from the floor, and saw that Jimmy, Hank and Connor were laughing. _Wait, androids can laugh? Connor looks adorable when he laughs._

Taking pity on her, Connor and Hank moved forward to help her up.

"I think you've had enough to drink, don't you?" Hank said, putting his arm around Merle.

"Yes, your alcohol blood content is rather high" Connor added, also putting his arm around Merle.

"Let's get you home. See you later Jim!"

They exited the bar, and started the walk to Merle's home. They were a few streets away when Merle realised she had never given them the address.

"How, how do youuuuuuu know how to get to myyyyyyyy homeeeeee?"

"I am always connected to the police database, and your address is information I have access too" Connor stated.

"Oh"

They reached Merle's home, a standard 2 story house. It was well kept, surrounded by a white-picket fence. There was no car in the driveway, with Merle's bike parked in the garage. She walked forward to unlock the door, which took several attempts. When she finally opened the door and hit the lights, she instantly tripped over a child's toy. _I swear she's trying to kill me._

"Welcomeeee to my home"

They went into the kitchen, where Merle proceeded to pour herself a cup of water.

"I didn't know you had kids Merle" Hank commented, glancing at the toys strewn across the house.

"I don't. My brother and his kid live with me. They're in New Yyyyyyork at the moment, so don't ask me how it got this messssssy"

Connor picked up a frame that was on the counter. Pictured was a younger Merle, with her brother and what he assumed was her sister.

"Who are they?"

Merle's faced crumpled. "The guy is Zac, he's my brother. And, and. That's… Kelly. I'm tired. I'm ggggoing to bedd"

With that, she tossed her drink into the sink and staggered up the stairs, leaving a stunned Hank and Connor in the kitchen.

"That was… abrupt"

"Yes Connor, that was"

"I did ask her about her dead sister. That might have upset her"

"Dead?"

"Yes. According to my records she died when she was 14 years of age. She was ambushed on her way home by a gang and beaten to death"

Hank looked guilty. "That… that explains a lot. I better go home, can you stay here and look after her? Tell her she has the day off tomorrow. Night Connor"

"Night Lieutenant"

It was the following morning. Sun streamed through the gaps in Merle's blinds, and she groaned. _What the hell did I drink last night? It feels like a rock band are drumming in my head. I'm not 18 anymore, I can't drink like this._ She sat up, and what she saw made her scream and grabbed the nearest object near her.

Connor, who had been standing at the end of Merle's bed, was hit by the hairbrush Merle had thrown at him.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

"The Lieutenant asked me to stay here and watch over you"

She took a deep breath, and swung her legs out of bed. _I swear, everyone is trying to kill me._ "You nearly scared me to death Connor"

"I am sorry, Detective. That was not my intention"

She waved him off, standing up. "I know Connor, don't worry. Just don't do it again. Do you want some tea?"

Connor's face was lined with confusion. "Tea? Androids don't drink"

Merle chuckled, and led him down the stairs. "No, it's android tea! It's made with blue-blood and some other stuff that's meant to be good for your… android brains"

Connors head tilted. _Android tea? I have never heard of that. That is strange._ "Then yes, I would love some"

He sat down at the table while Merle busied herself with making tea. A few minutes later, with 2 cups of steaming tea in her hand, she joined him at the table.

"Do we have any more information on how the case is going?"

Connor nodded. "Yes, the boys were arrested and interviewed by child psychologists. They admitted to the crime and have plead guilty. The trial is set for next week. We are expecting a 15 year sentence with some sort of mental health attachment"

Merle nodded. _So they won't get off scot-free. Good._

"This tea is really good, I feel very refreshed. Where did you get it from?"

 _I feel refreshed? I thought androids couldn't feel anything. He's hiding something. I wonder if he could be deviant…_ "I have a friend who works at Cyberlife. They were going to release a line of android food and drink before this whole revolution started. She let me have a load for free"

Connor looked suspicious, and took another sip of his tea. "I thought you didn't have an android? If so, where is it?"

 _Shit._ "It's for my brother. He has an android. I don't see it very often though. That and many of my friends have androids" Merle lied smoothly. _That was close. I wonder if he bought it._

Connor seemed to take that as a satisfactory answer, and finished his tea.

"I should probably leave. The Lieutenant needs me in the office. You have the day off today, to sleep off that hangover"

Merle was surprised. _Oh. They're so much nicer to me than my previous team. I mean I would've taken the day off anyway but now I don't need to ring up._ "That's great, thank you so much. I'll see you to the door"

She led him to the door and hugged him before letting him leave. _DAMN reflex! He is snuggly though._ There was an awkward silence as she opened the door and he stepped out.

"Goodbye Detective, I shall see you at work tomorrow"

"See ya Connor", and they waved goodbye. She closed the door and slid down onto the floor.

 _Damn._

 _That was close._


	9. Chapter Six

**Disclaimer: Any canon characters, the original story line and the world of android!Detroit all belong to David Cage and his team at Quantic Dream. Any OCs and the plot line belong to me :D**

 _Revolution only needs good dreamers who remember their dreams. -_ ** _Tennessee Williams_**

Chapter 6: Planning

"Good morning everyone. You must all be wondering why I have dragged you all to a meeting so early in the morning, and why I insisted that everyone attend. At the last meeting, Rupert brought it to my attention that there is a small, vacant Cyberlife storage unit that we could possibly capture. Little did Rupert know, this unit is not small and not completely empty. There are spare biocompartments and thirium, which we so desperately need, and could provide as a new base and a refuge centre for deviants. Now, we have to move quickly. I said last week we would put this down to a vote - we don't have time for that. If you don't want to participate, leave now!"

No one moved. _Good, we need all the people we can get._

"Right. We will move tonight. I have secured enough weapons for us all" she said, gesturing over to the weapons crates in the corner of the room. "The more experienced of you will be on the front lines with automatic weapons and handguns. The rest of you will have handguns. Hopefully, we won't have to use them. I have a friend at Cyberlife who will make the unit disappear off their radar when we have secured the unit. Before I explain the nitty-gritty details of this operation, does anyone have any questions?"

Everyone spoke at once.

"You are AMAZING" _That's not a question._

"When will we strike?"

"What happens if we get injured?"

"How will you distract the police?"

"Are you sure we can do this?"

"I thought we were making no big moves without Jericho?"

 _Wow they are eager._ "Alright, well I think I got some of them questions, it's a bit hard to understand you all when you talk over each other! Anyway, we strike under the cover of night, at 10pm. We hopefully will not have any injuries, but just in case, we do have Allie", she gestured to a female android sitting to her left, "who is our resident medic. There is a big anti-android protest downtown tonight which a few of you will intercept and disrupt, thoroughly distracting the police. Yes, I am sure we can do this. I wouldn't risk us if I wasn't sure. And Jericho…" She took a deep breath. _Time to tell them._ "I spoke to their leader, Markus"

Chaos broke out.

"You spoke to Markus?"

"How dare you go behind our backs?"

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"Why?"

"You TRAITOR!"

Blackbird immediately saw red. _A traitor? A fucking traitor? After all the work I have done, after all the personal risks?_ She was about to erupt when Rupert jumped up from his seat.

"SHUT UP! HOW DARE YOU!? AFTER ALL SHE HAS DONE FOR US! SHE HAS RISKED EVERYTHING- EVERYTHING TO HELP US. AND YOU DARE ACCUSE HER OF BEING A TRAITOR?" He took a deep breath. "You should be ashamed of yourselves. All of you"

Blackbird placed a hand on Rupert's shoulder, giving him a reassuring squeeze. _Rupert, you are a darling. A true friend. Thank you so much._

"Thank you Rupert. Now everyone, if we could refrain from rash accusations and shouting, I will tell you about why I met with Markus alone. I met with Markus in secret because I wanted to see if there was any possibility of us joining up with Jericho. If the meeting was a failure, then nothing would've have changed. However, it wasn't. Markus has stated, that if we get this unit, he will consider joining us. Can you see why this unit is so important?"

There were several nods and grunts of approval from the crowd. _Thank everything. They are too bloody reactionary and emotional. Right, down to business._

"There will be six groups, all with different jobs. I am going to sort you into your groups now, and if you could band into these groups, I'll speak with each group individually. In group Alpha will be me, Jethro, Harry, Jonathon, Callie, Mollie and Cieran. In group Bravo will be Zeki, Amber and Jermaine. Group Charlie will contain Katie, Lance and Jade. Group Delta is the biggest group, containing Rupert, Charlie, Mika, Kelis, Andre, Moby, Saturn, Adia, Justin, Axel, Monty, Brandon, Ishe, Romano, Shemes and Storm. In group Echo will be Allie, Fran, Nevaeh, Eren, Kari, Leo, Dante and Levi. Last but not least, group Foxtrot will have Traci, Lila, Ziva, Michael, Jerome, Daniel, Luke, Rogue, Natasha and Frankie. Assemble your groups, and I will give you your tasks"

As everyone got into their groups, Blackbird smiled to herself. _Everything's coming together. This might actually work._ She walked over to group Alpha.

"Right. We are the core command group. We are the ones who will be infiltrating the unit. We are the most experienced with guns, with most of you having police or military experience" Merle pulled out a map from her back pocket, which marked out everyone's positions. "You will be partnered up - Mollie and Cieran, you will approach from the back. Take out any lights you see, and make sure you get rid of the guard. Jonathan and Callie, you will approach from the left side, up high. Your task is to take out the surveillance drones and the guard that patrols that area. Jethro and Harry, you will be with me. We will approach from the front, taking out the two androids who guard the entrance. We will then break into the container once group Charlie gives us the go-ahead. The less bodies the better, all of the guards are androids, so you will be able to convert them. Jethro is my second-in-command, he will go through the specifics with you all now"

She then walked over to Zeki, Amber and Jermaine.

"You guys are group Bravo, aka our snipers. You were all snipers for the army. You will each be stationed on a building of importance, and will be our eyes in the sky. Hopefully, you won't have to do anything, but I expect you to be covering group Alpha at all times. Your equipment is over there, as well as the building layouts. Get acquainted with them"

The group nodded at her, and went over to their equipment. Satisfied, Blackbird walked over to the next group. Katie spoke before Blackbird could say anything.

"We are the hackers right?"

Blackbird smiled. "Of course, Katie. You and Lance are in charge of surveillance - keep an eye on the area surrounding us and police activity. Lance, you will be responsible for relaying the message to Damon that we have the container and that he needs to make it disappear. Jade, you're in charge of communications - if anything goes wrong you relay a message to everyone immediately. You will have direct access to everyone. You will all be stationed in an empty office on Gratiot Avenue, which will have all the computer equipment you need and you will not be disturbed. Sound good?"

"Yes" they chimed, and immediately started talking strategy to each other. _They're taking it seriously. Good._ Merle then approached the biggest group, group Delta.

"Right, group Delta! You guys will be infiltrating the protest. Rupert is in charge of you lot, do whatever you deem necessary to get the police involved. Just do not get arrested, I will not be able to help you if you do. Rupert, you good to take over?"

Rupert nodded. "So what we are going to do is-"

 _Rupert has it under control. Good. I'm proud of him. He's grown so much._ She then walked over to group Echo and Foxtrot.

"Group Echo, you are the medics. You'll be stationed in a van a few streets away. If anyone gets hurt, they'll come to you. If we are desperate, you will come to us. Group Foxtrot, you are the back-up". There was a collective groan in the crowd.

"Back-up? That's boring!" moaned Ziva.

Blackbird rolled her eyes. "It is not boring! It is essential. If everything goes tits up it will be up to you guys to either take over the unit, fight the police or get us out of there. It is crucial to our survival that you are ready. You will all be stationed, in groups of twos or threes, in different places around the city. Bars, clubs, shops, parks, etc. You will receive a signal if we need your help, and you will, without rousing any suspicion, join the fight. If we have been successful and have secured the unit without your help, you will receive a different signal at the end of the night when it is safe for you to make your way to the container"

Blackbird then turned around and marched over to a chair in the centre of the room. Making sure it was sturdy, she climbed onto it and clapped to get everyone's attention.

"So, we all know what we are doing. We will commence here at 7pm to get our weapons and any other equipment. At 9pm we will make our way to our positions. At 10pm, we strike. I know some of you must be having your doubts, but if we work together, this will go according to plan. When I started this group all those weeks ago, I never imagined that we would be here, right now, preparing to take over a Cyberlife unit. I am so proud of us all.

Remember who you are fighting for. Not just yourselves, but every single android in Detroit. If we are successful, this could be the beginning of the android revolution. We are fighting for freedom, for the rights of androids to live just like humans. To not be persecuted unjustly, to be treated with feeling, dignity and respect. Our dreams can become reality, for a revolution only needs good dreamers who remember their dreams. FIGHT ON!"

Silence. Dead silence. _Was my speech okay? I wanted to be motivational. Maybe I hammed it up too much-_

Cheering and chants of "freedom" broke through her thoughts. She smiled.

"We are done for now, make sure to be here at 7pm tonight. Good luck everybody"

She stepped down from her chair as the crowd started to dissipate. _I think I've done a good job. Everyone seems to be fired up. I am quite excited for tonight, I've been lacking action in my life recently._

Rupert approached Blackbird with a big grin on his face. He pulled her in for a hug.

"Blackbird, that was amazing! Everyone is so excited for tonight, I can't wait! And thank you for letting me be in charge of group Delta"

"Thanks Rupert! And of course, you have great planning skills and are a natural leader Rupert, so of course I chose you to lead it! Also, you are the only one I fully trust around here"

Ruperts eyes twinkled. "Really! That means so much to me! Oh and, since we have known each other for a few months now, would I be able to know your name? Your real one? It just, it doesn't feel right calling you Blackbird all the time, you know?"

Blackbird sighed. _I can't tell him my real name now. Not yet. There's too much at stake here._ "I'm sorry Rupert. But not yet. As soon as we have Jericho in our ranks I won't be in as much danger, and then I will tell you my name. I promise"

"Pinky promise?"

"Pinky promise"


End file.
